For labeling manufactured parts or products during the manufacturing process, it is the current practice for label converters to produce pre-printed labels, typically in roll form (but also in sheets or packs), and to ship these to assembly plants on a regular basis to keep up with usage while providing continuing modifications to these labels to meet changing requirements. Many of the labels are option specific with two or more designs specific to the product, component or part and its optional features. Examples of these are in the assembly of automobiles, manufacturing equipment, large household appliances, etc. where many models are fabricated and several labels need to be placed on components or parts. The assembly worker must therefore recognize the type of model and the options that are associated therewith and to which parts specific labels have to be applied. He must also be aware of changes in labels due to regional or national legislation or language requirements. Some components or parts have one label regardless of options, while others have 2, 3 or more designs depending on product model or optional equipment. One can imagine that with automobile manufacturing where there are several vehicle options that excessive care must be used in applying the proper labels. For example, at a Chrysler Assembly Plant, twenty-three (23) different labels need to be applied to certain vehicles and which labels are subject to some Government legislation. The correct label for each of these legislated labels must be on each car, component or part and all other labels must be present and accurate before delivery to a consumer. Each of these labels may have multiple formats based on the vehicles' options—6 cylinder engine or 4 cylinder, air conditioning or no air conditioning. Legislation in Canada, California or Germany where the car is to be delivered also requires specific information content. The language of the country of delivery must be used. The current label application process is subject to errors and consequently vehicle recalls.
Because the labeling of parts of a vehicle or other products such as washing and drying machines, dishwashers, stoves, etc., is at the mercy of choice by hourly paid assembly workers, decision making is vested in them. Failure to comply with proper labeling can result in fines, recalls of products, bodily injury, and can lead to litigation and civil court awards. With certain car manufacturing, improper labeling is a repetitive cause for recalls, i.e., if a label is missing or a wrong label is applied. There is therefore a need to overcome this problem and to facilitate the application of proper labels to component parts of various types of products which are assembled by people.
At DaimlerChrysler's Windsor Assembly Plant, it was recognized by Enio Parete, Aldo Pallisco and Jim Lazzarin that there was a need to remedy this problem directly at the plant and therefore a system needed to be developed to prevent or substantially eliminate these errors caused by assembly personnel.
There is therefore a need to eliminate procurement complexity for ordering labels customized to specific product variation, a need for production stoppage or delay due to label stock outages to be eliminated, a need to eliminate sequencing complexity, line ordering, inventory hold of products that are mislabeled, a need to eliminate or substantially reduce liability exposure, a need to hold of products that are mislabeled, a need to eliminate or substantially reduce liability exposure, a need to facilitate label validation, a need to improve cost, quality, substantially reduce or eliminate downtime and re-labeling and confusion with labels that are printed in multi-language, a need to provide labels in kit form which correctly provides all labels for part of or all of a manufactured assembly, and a need to provide labels in kits which can be applied correctly at the time of manufacture or shipped with the product and applied in a foreign country to meet language, legislation, product or consumer requirements in that country.
Accordingly, Applicants introduced the present invention which is a kitting system to improve the error-proofing of the labeling process, and which eliminates errors requiring the company to re-label or recall vehicles. The kitting system of the present invention satisfies the above-mentioned needs and resolves the problems by providing the correct labels for each vehicle in a kit format whereby the incidence of errors in labeling can be resolved.